Be The Change
by MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld
Summary: Modern AU where James and Sirius are still wizards and there's still prejudice against Muggles and Muggleborns. The first chapter is just a meet-cute with James and Lily. I have ideas but not sure when the rest will come.


"Just one more Pads, then we're going home," James said, giving the large black dog at his feet a stern look. "I mean it."

Padfoot whined and twitched his tail, and James sighed. "That sad puppy face won't work on me, and you know it," he warned. He tossed the frisbee into the distance, and he'd have sworn the dog winked at him before he loped away to fetch it.

He stood with his hands on his hips as he waited for Padfoot to return. The dog retrieved the toy and sauntered back to James with his grey eyes wide and his tail wagging happily. But before James could remind his companion that now it really and truly was time to leave the park, he heard a delighted shriek from behind him.

"Oh, my goodness!" a woman squealed, her footsteps quickly approaching James' back. "Who is this beautiful bubba?" She jumped to a stop next to James and gasped, her arms held wide.

James blinked. The girl was shorter than him and curvy, with freckled cheeks and thick red hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. She was wearing a camisole and a long skirt with flowers printed on it, and James thought he noticed black boots on her feet. She covered her face with her hands and shook her shoulders gleefully.

At first glance, James thought she might be cute. Also possibly drunk. But she was shimmying like she was in a Shakira video, and her motions were interfering with his cognitive abilities.

"Er, what?" he asked, brilliantly.

"This gorgeous boy!" the woman cried. She stopped wiggling and dropped to her knees. "What's his name? Can I pet him?"

"Oh, yeah, okay," James said, recovering himself slightly. He reached up and ruffled his hair. "His name's Padfoot. Go ahead."

The dog walked over and nuzzled the girl's chest, and she gasped again. "Oh, my goodness," she repeated. She began scratching the dog behind the ears, then looked up at James with a stunning smile. "He's Padfoot? Because of his toe beans?" She cracked up. "That's brilliant!"

"Heh, thanks," James said. He'd thought the shimmy was distracting, but that smile was brighter than a camera flash. It froze him in place and erased everything but her from his vision. He blinked again and opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say.

The young woman was no longer looking at him, anyway. She cooed at the big dog, and Padfoot's mouth dropped open in a doggy grin. He leaned into her touch, and she reciprocated, nuzzling her forehead against his.

"What a good boy you are," she said. "Such a sweet boy, yes you are, bubba."

Watching her, James easily could have forgotten that anyone else existed in the world. She was beaming and stroking Padfoot's ears and back, occasionally hugging him like she wanted to keep him forever. She looked beautiful, and peaceful, and happy. And James just stood there. Gaping at her. Like a moron.

Just as he was beginning to wonder whether he could ever command as much of her attention attention as this sleek black dog – who looked equal parts intimidating shepherd mix and cuddly spaniel – a tall brunette ran up and put a hand on the giggling redhead's shoulder.

"Lily!" the new girl said. "What are you doing?"

The redhead continued to scratch Padfoot's ears. "Mary look at the bubby!" she cried, without looking up. "Isn't he a beautiful boy?"

"Yes, of course he is, love," Mary agreed, giving her friend's shoulder a squeeze. She glanced at James and smiled. "But I think this man would like to take his dog and go home."

"Oh, no!" Lily murmured, still baby-talking to Padfoot. "Is it time to go home? Is it? It is? Okay, bubba. Let's go. Yes, let's go. Sweet boy." But she didn't stop petting him.

Mary gave James an apologetic shrug. "I'm so sorry," she said. "She loves dogs."

"It's no problem," James said with a shrug of his own. He squatted down and tried to catch Lily's eye. "I know he's a handsome bastard. But I do have to get him home."

"Aww." Lily buried her hands in Padfoot's fur before tilting her head to look at James. She smiled another blinding smile. "Him and you both, yeah?"

James rocked back on his heels and almost fell over. "Huh?"

"Lily!" Mary exclaimed. "I'm so sorry," she repeated. "She's an aggressive drunk."

"I'm not aggressive. He_ is_ a handsome bastard," Lily said, rising to her feet. She turned to James seriously. "You are."

James felt his cheeks go warm, but he couldn't help grinning. "Thank you?"

"You're welcome," she said, nodding. "And thank you for letting me meet your dog." She turned and petted Padfoot's ears one last time. "Goodbye, Padfoot," she said, with a sort of finality. "You're the best boy ever." She linked her arm through Mary's and turned to walk away.

"You say that 'cause he's never destroyed _your _shoes," James said lightly, calling her attention back to him. Padfoot let out a quiet whine, and James rolled his eyes playfully and patted the dog on the head. "Anyway, maybe this isn't goodbye, you know. Maybe we'll meet again, one handsome bastard to another?"

"What?" Lily's cheeks were flushed and she nearly doubled over with laughter as she turned back to face James. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"No—it was a joke, right? Because you're—and you said…" James trailed off and shook his head. "Nevermind." He ran a hand through his hair. "What I meant was, how about you give me your number, and we can get together sometime? And you and Padfoot could hang out some more, you know?"

"Hmm." Lily clutched Mary's arm tightly, but her eyes were dancing as she searched James' face. After a moment, she nodded. "Yeah. That would be cool."

"Brilliant," James said. He took out his phone and handed it to her. "Just put it in there, yeah?"

"All right." She punched in the number and handed it back to him with a grin. "Call me sometime." She released Mary's arm and squatted down again to give Padfoot a hug. "Bye, Padfoot," she whispered. "See you soon." Then re-linked arms with her friend and strolled away.

James watched the two girls leave – one tall and willowy with long brown hair and the other short and soft with hair like fire – and he felt the immense satisfaction of a mission accomplished, though he hadn't come to the park with any mission at all. He unlocked his phone and glanced at the number Lily had given him, chuckling as he did.

_Padfoot's New Best Friend_, the contact card read.

But there was a phone number in there, and he had a feeling she'd given him the correct one. She thought he was a handsome bastard, after all. And if nothing else, she definitely wanted to see his dog again.

James clipped Padfoot to his lead and walked back to their flat with a smile on his face.

Once they were safely inside, Padfoot jumped up onto the sofa, turned in three circles and settled into a corner of the couch. As soon as he got comfortable, he yawned and transformed into a lean young man with long black hair and stormy grey eyes.

"Well, that was fun," Sirius said, smirking at James. He locked his hands behind his head and stretched his legs. "It's been ages since you've used me to get a date."

"Not that long," James argued, flopping on the sofa next to his best friend. "I only stopped seeing Carys like a month ago."

"No, that doesn't count. You were on the pull when you met Carys," Sirius countered. "It's easy to pretend you have a dog for a few hours if all you're looking to do is hook up every now and again. Actually dating a girl long-term is a whole other thing."

"How do you know I'm not just looking to hook up with Lily?" James demanded. "I only just met her, and all I know is she's fit and loves mopey black dogs."

Sirius just laughed. "What can I say? I'm a handsome bastard," he said. "But trust me. If you see this girl again, it won't just be to hook up. You're going to want to keep this one forever."

...

AN: I'm not sure when I'll write more of this, y'all, just being honest. I have an outline, but this is the only chapter I've written and it's not even my main WIP. But I love love love this chapter, and I wanted to post something for Lily's birthday. Hope you enjoy it, too!


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